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Altenew April 2018 Release and Blog Hop (+GIVEAWAYS!)

16 Apr

Good morning!  I’m thrilled to be joining the amazing Altenew design team to celebrate their April 2018 release!  They have a fabulous selection of stamps and dies in this month’s release!

Altenew April 2018 Release by Jessica Frost-Ballas

I decided to keep to a black, white, gold, and blue palette and I love how the cards look like a set!

Altenew April 2018 Release by Jessica Frost-Ballas

For my first card I did a loose watercolor wash of ombre blues on a piece of canson montval watercolor paper.  I let it dry and then die-cut it with the new Gradient Lines cover die.  I laid the die-cut over a piece of white cardstock and held it in place with post-it tape.  Then I puzzle-pieced the negative strips into the die and adhered them in place before carefully removing the die which I reserved for another card.  This left a really neat striped ombre effect on my background panel.

Altenew April 2018 Release by Jessica Frost-Ballas

Next I stamped the Happy Heart florals onto a piece of white cardstock and heat-embossed them with gold embossing powder.  I used copic markers to add shading to the center of each flower in colors that matched the background stripes.  Next I die-cut the You Are Loved sentiment from black cardstock and gold glitter cardstock and adhered them together on a slight offset angle.  I layered the florals onto opposite corners of the panels and adhered the sentiment in the top left.  I finished the card with a sprinkling of gold sequins and a layer of spectrum noir clear sparkle on the black cardstock.

Altenew April 2018 Release by Jessica Frost-Ballas

My next card uses the original Gradient Stripes cover die piece.  I simply adhered that to a white cardstock panel and sprayed it with the jet black spray.  I layered a few more of my copic colored flowers from the Happy Heart set under the You Are Loved sentiment and added a gold sequins.  I die-cut the sentiment with black cardstock and gold mirror cardstock for a slightly different effect and added a layer of spectrum noir clear sparkle to the black cardstock.

Altenew April 2018 Release by Jessica Frost-Ballas

For my last card I made the Mega Greetings the focus of my card.  I stamped some of the berries and leaves onto a white cardstock panel and heat-embossed them with gold embossing powder.  Next I stamped the flowers from Happy Heart onto white cardstock and heat-embossed them with gold embossing powder before die-cutting them with the coordinating dies.  I used similar shades to copic color the die-cut flowers but used slightly darker shades of blue.

Altenew April 2018 Release by Jessica Frost-Ballas

I adhered the flowers over the gold embossed background and then die-cut the Mega Greetings hello from black cardstock and gold glitter cardstock.  This time I layered the gold glitter over the black and adhered it to the panel with foam mounting tape.  I stamped the rest of the sentiment from Happy Heart onto black cardstock with versamark and heat-embossed it with white embossing powder.  I trimmed that down to a label and adhered it to the card with foam mounting tape.  Finally I finished the card with a few turquoise blue sequins!

Altenew April 2018 Release by Jessica Frost-Ballas

To celebrate the release Altenew is giving away SIX $50 gift certificates!  To celebrate this release, Altenew is giving away a $50 gift certificate to SIX lucky winners! Please leave a comment on the Altenew Card Blog and Altenew Scrapbook Blog by Saturday, April 21st for a chance to win. Six winners will be announced on the Altenew blogs on 4/22/18.

And, there’s even more good news! 😉 EVERY stop on the hop is giving away a $30 gift certificate so the more you comment, the more chances you have to win!  Please leave your comments by 11:59PM EST on April 20th and the winner will be announced on April 21st!

Here’s a list of all the stops on the hop:

  • Altenew Card Blog
  • Erum Tasneem
  • Kay Miller
  • May Sukyong Park
  • Nina-Marie Trapani
  • Svitlana Shayevich
  • Lilith Eeckels
  • Jenn Shurkus
  • Agnieszka Malyszek
  • Lydia Evans
  • Jennifer McGuire
  • Flora Monika Farkas
  • Janette Kausen
  • Sveta Fotinia
  • Lydia Fiedler
  • Debby Hughes
  • Virginia Lu
  • Laurie Willison
  • Kymona Tracey
  • Keeway Tsao
  • Sandra Dietrich
  • Gayatri Murali
  • Vicky Papaioannou
  • Altenew Scrapbook Blog
  • Therese Calvird
  • Jessica Frost-Ballas —> You are here!
  • Nicole Picadura
  • Justine Hovey
  • Reiko Tsuchida
  • Amber Rain Davis
  • Enza Gudor
  • Kelli Cool
  • Laura Bassen

If you’ve gotten all the way to the end of my super long post, thanks so much for visiting and enjoy the hop!  If this is your first time at my blog I hope you’ll consider subscribing via the sidebar on the right or visiting me on Youtube or Instagram!  Have a fabulous crafty week, friends! 🙂

Interested in the products I used?  To make them easy for you to find, I have listed them below. (Affiliate disclosure can be found here). Your purchases through my links help keep my blog running with no additional cost to you and I thank you so much for the support!!

Altenew GRADIENT STRIPES COVER Die…
[ SSS ]
Altenew HAPPY HEART Clear Stamp Set…
[ SSS ]
Altenew HAPPY HEART Die Set ALT2221
[ SSS ]
Altenew YOU ARE LOVED Die Set ALT2249
[ SSS ]
Altenew MEGA HELLO Die ALT2230
[ SSS ]
Altenew JET BLACK Ink Spray ALT2126
[ SSS ]
Mijello MISSION GOLD WATER COLOR SET…
[ SSS ]
Mijello MISSION GOLD WATER COLOR…
[ SSS ]
Canson MONTVAL WATERCOLOR 9×12 Pad…
[ SSS ]
Neenah Classic Crest 110 LB SMOOTH…
[ SSS ]
Tonic GOLD DUST A4 Glitter Cardstock…
[ SSS ]
Tonic POLISHED GOLD Mirror Card Gloss…
[ SSS ]
Simon Says Stamp Card Stock 100#…
[ SSS ]
Pretty Pink Posh 6MM METALLIC GOLD…
[ SSS ]
Pretty Pink Posh 6MM AQUAMARINE…
[ SSS ]
Pretty Pink Posh 4MM METALLIC GOLD…
[ SSS ]
Pretty Pink Posh 4MM AQUAMARINE…
[ SSS ]
Copic Markers
[ SSS ]
Crafter’s Companion CLEAR OVERLAY…
[ SSS ]
Inkadinkado EMBOSSING MAGIC Powder…
[ SSS ]
Tsukineko Versamark EMBOSS INK PAD…
[ SSS ]
Simon Says Stamp EMBOSSING POWDER…
[ SSS ]
Ranger Embossing Powder GOLD Tinsel…
[ SSS ]
Simon Says Stamp EMBOSSING POWDER…
[ SSS ]
Precision Heat Embossing Tool Gun…
[ SSS ]
3M Scotch PINK ATG ADVANCED TAPE…
[ SSS ]
Ranger Inkssentials GLOSSY ACCENTS…
[ SSS ]
3M Scotch DOUBLE-SIDED FOAM TAPE…
[ SSS ]
Crafter’s Companion GEMINI JUNIOR…
[ SSS ]

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Comments:
172 Comments
Categories:
bloghop, card-making, crafting, guest-designer
Tags:
altenew, mijello mission gold watercolor

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Comments

  1. Lisa F says

    April 16, 2018 at 5:22 pm

    These are so elegant and gorgeous!! I love the beautiful designs! Thanks for the inspiration!!

    Reply
  2. Liz Ford says

    April 16, 2018 at 5:47 pm

    I love the boldness of your cards! The black and blues on your cards are all great. I love how sparkly they are too!

    Reply
  3. Gloria Rowden says

    April 16, 2018 at 5:53 pm

    The gradient die is fabulous. It will be used often. The watercolor gradient wash is a perfect. Lining up the little strips may be a challenge. Thank you for the great ideas.

    Reply
  4. Carolyn S says

    April 16, 2018 at 5:56 pm

    I was going to buzz through without commenting but then I saw you used my favorite gradient stripes I had to stamp and say how gorgeous your cards were! Thanks for the fabulous ideas!

    Reply
  5. Eva N says

    April 16, 2018 at 6:12 pm

    Love your cards, especially in this blue, gold and black color combination. Can’t wait to experiment with these great stamps and dies.

    Reply
  6. Vicki Smith says

    April 16, 2018 at 6:16 pm

    Stunning cards showcasing Altenew’s beautiful products.

    Reply
  7. Theresa Petermann says

    April 16, 2018 at 6:47 pm

    so many great greeting cards; thanks as always for sharing.

    Reply
  8. Jaycee C says

    April 16, 2018 at 6:56 pm

    These cards are very lovely. I especially like the blue shades with the gold. And the Mega Hello die is such a great size. Doing it is gold makes it look very elegant.

    Reply
  9. Stacey Kowbel says

    April 16, 2018 at 6:59 pm

    Fantastic cards and designs! Your backgrounds are gorgeous!

    Reply
  10. NatQuebec says

    April 16, 2018 at 7:06 pm

    Beautiful cards, thanks for the inspiration.

    Reply
  11. Patt H. says

    April 16, 2018 at 7:23 pm

    Such beautiful cards! Love the blue & gold !

    Reply
  12. margbrid says

    April 16, 2018 at 7:43 pm

    Wow! Your cards are stunning and I love the color scheme you used!

    Reply
  13. Brandi R says

    April 16, 2018 at 7:54 pm

    WOW! These are breathtaking. GORGEOUS cards ♥

    Reply
  14. Teri W says

    April 16, 2018 at 7:55 pm

    Love the gradient stripes!

    Reply
  15. Brenda Kuder says

    April 16, 2018 at 8:04 pm

    Love your cards. I’m a big fan of the background die and stamp.

    Reply
  16. Jane McGill says

    April 16, 2018 at 8:06 pm

    Beautiful cards

    Reply
  17. Lindarub says

    April 16, 2018 at 8:41 pm

    Great cards.

    Reply
  18. Kelsey Thomas says

    April 16, 2018 at 8:46 pm

    Awesome cards!

    Reply
  19. Ericka Strange says

    April 16, 2018 at 8:50 pm

    Wow love this Color pallet. So beautiful with the gold. Gorgeous job and love these dies!

    Reply
  20. Jeanne Beam says

    April 16, 2018 at 9:18 pm

    Such gorgeous cards. Thanks so much for sharing…

    Reply
  21. Amber Rain Davis says

    April 16, 2018 at 9:26 pm

    Wow. These are just gorgeous!

    Reply
  22. Cathy Wolff says

    April 16, 2018 at 9:30 pm

    Beautiful cards. I love the way you added the gold into the backgrounds.

    Reply
  23. itstrulyanoriginal says

    April 16, 2018 at 9:54 pm

    I love the Altenew product. Its so stunning we can make beautiful cards so simply! Great release.

    Reply
  24. Carol Blaisdell says

    April 16, 2018 at 10:02 pm

    Your cards are all fabulous!!

    Reply
  25. Gayle Bartholomew says

    April 16, 2018 at 10:28 pm

    Beautiful cards and love your color choices.

    Reply
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Jessica About Me Photo
Hi, I'm Jess! Thanks for visiting my blog where I share my adventures in cardmaking and papercrafting! I hope I can inspire you to craft with a little extra sparkle!

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Disclosure

I design for several companies because I truly love their products! Anything I recommend on my blog is something that I genuinely love and regularly use. I do not get paid for product reviews and I will never recommend a product that I do not like or would not use.

I am affiliated with several of my favorite crafty companies which means I receive a small commission (at no additional cost to you!!) when you click on one of my links and make a purchase through the store.

You can find my full disclosure as well as a list of the companies I am affiliated with HERE. Thank you so much for supporting me!

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